


Late Night Hot Chocolate

by elcten881



Category: Six - Marlow/Moss
Genre: Beheaded Cousins, Do not repost, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Past Abuse, Trauma, happy ending i swear
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-15 05:00:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28682958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elcten881/pseuds/elcten881
Summary: When Anna comes home drunk one night, Kat gets put in an uncomfortable position.
Relationships: Anne Boleyn & Katherine Howard, Anne of Cleves & Katherine Howard
Comments: 15
Kudos: 69





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> It’s been a while since I’ve written for a new fandom…please be nice! Also I’m stealing the reincarnation idea and nicknames I’ve seen in other Six fics. I don’t know who originated them because I’ve seen them in a few but credit to whoever claims it!

** **Late Night Hot Chocolate** **

** **

Everyone has baggage.

Big or small, traumatic or simple.

In life there was no set amount of shit you had to go through to be able to claim you had issues. Everyone has their thing. That part of their life that kept them up at night or caused them to avoid certain places. Over the years this was something that had become more and more talked about. Trigger warnings became common and, even if they were sometimes unwarranted, the thought behind them was valid.

The six women living at 1547 Castle Way knew all about trauma. For the reasons given above, they had made it a point early on to not compare their histories. Quickly instilling that nobody had it worse or better than anyone else. After they all found each other post reincarnation, they had sat down and each told their story. None of the queen’s were naive enough to believe the stories spread when they had lived the first time round. All agreed that hearing it from the horses mouth would be a much fairer option.

Sure, parts were embellished or underplayed. Once or twice Catalina or Jane had been prompted to check Anne. For example, having to loudly tell the other queens that Henry had not beheaded her for bringing a live elephant into the throne room. A couple of times Anna had scolded Katherine for downplaying her abuse at the hands of various men in her life. Ultimately, however, it allowed for an understanding to forge between the queens. Dynamics quickly made between certain members and old resentments making themselves known.

They were still human, they were still hurting and so arguments were bound to break out. That first week all together was utter chaos, but since then it had begun to settle. For Katherine, she had quickly taken note of the various roles the other queens had taken within the house. She herself was still too young to really know what her place was and so instead just decided to slot herself in any gap.

Catalina was their leader, she kept them all in check and was definitely the authoritarian. In the months they’d all lived together, Katherine still found her terrifying. She was this domineering presence, constantly shutting the others down with a look. The only one who would willingly step to her was Anne but even she had been taken down a peg by the Spaniard a few times. There was definitely a wall up there that wasn’t coming down any time soon.

Jane had, as probably expected, taken on a motherly role in the group. She did the cooking, organised chores and was just generally always there as an empathetic ear. Katherine felt she babied her a little, her age shocking most of the queens. She had to constantly remind the blonde that she wasn’t a child and Jane had eventually become less intense with her coddling. Though she did spend way too much time on mumsnet.

Anne was almost like the devious elder sister, full of pranks and snarky one liners. She hid her pain behind a quick humour. Sometimes it wasn’t just to distract from her own trauma, she liked making the others laugh because it meant they weren’t sad. Part of her wanted to be the source of joy for the others, or at least allow an emotional outlet. Like letting Catalina blow up at her just so the elder woman could get the emotion out. She had a huge soft spot for Katherine, her cousin and only remaining family. It was different to Jane’s coddling, it was something more protective.

The most shocking difference between past and present lives came from Anna. She had found the club life in the 21st century extremely pleasurable. Every night she’d be out at a party and every morning she’d be nursing a hangover. Occasionally, she’d wake up the house with some random woman she had brought home much to the fury of Catalina and the discomfort of Jane. It was worse the next morning when said girl stayed for breakfast.

Cathy was just…Cathy. Nose in a book or in her laptop. Honestly, finding out about the existence of computers was the highlight of both her lives. She could write as much as she wanted with no papers or quills to replace. It was all just there in one place. Cathy was the level-headed one in the house. Usually the source of reason between Catalina’s fire, Jane’s coddling, Anna’s wild side and Anne’s…Anne-ness, Cathy was always the one to go to for logical advice. She wasn’t one for empathy but her unintentionally tough love was sometimes needed.

And Katherine…

Katherine was definitely still struggling to adapt. She liked this new world, things like TV and internet were fascinating to the teenager. Daytimes she always planned a packed schedule, wanting to experience everything the world had to offer. To take advantage of the opportunities she never considered in her last life. But night time was very different. Being left alone with her thoughts led to sleepless nights or, when she did sleep, nightmares from a different life.

She also had a fear of men. Being in close contact with one caused a large anxiety spike that more often that not led to panic attacks. Anne was always surprisingly good in these situations. Katherine couldn’t decide if this talent came from her own demons but her cousin was always point of contact for her panic attacks. It made Katherine sad that she hadn’t been around during her first life, having someone in her corner may have changed things a little. Sadly Anne had been killed when Katherine was 13. They never got the chance to meet.

Though, it was different now and Anne was making a point to make up for lost time. Neither had really had family before, not one worthy of the title at least. So Katherine found herself seeking Anne often for comfort and in turn Anne became fiercely protective of her so-called “baby cousin”. Yeah, not a fan of being called a baby anything but she knew it was only playful teasing.

The house didn’t have many set rules. Only three main ones immediately sprung to mind: No saying the H word (for obvious reasons), no entering peoples rooms without knocking (after Anne walked in on Catalina’s “alone time” and was scarred for life) and all meals had to be eaten all together (Jane’s one request in return for cooking). Hence why all the queens were sat at the kitchen table while Katherine laid the table. Laying the table and vacuuming were her jobs, they all had their set ones.

Once all the plates and cutlery were in place, Jane began dishing out the food.

“Tuck in everyone!” She told them with her usual beaming smile,

A chorus of thanks echoed around the table and they all settled down to eat.

“So!” Jane continued, dinner time really was her favourite time of day, “How was everyone’s day?”

“Pretty good,” Cathy stated, taking a sip of her water, “Didn’t get much writing done though, kind of fell down a Google hole for a couple hours.”

“Oh really? How come?”

Anne snorted, only Jane would willingly prompt Cathy into telling them about yet another conspiracy theory.

“Remember when we had to relearn basic science and found out the Earth is supposedly round?” Cathy began, “Well I found a few sources saying this isn’t really true and that earth is actually---”

“Dear God, Kitty how was your day!?” Anne suddenly burst,

“Rude.” Cathy huffed, “I was talking.”

“You were talking out of your ass,” Anne countered, “Looked painful - I was saving you!”

“Anne, no swearing at the dinner table.” Jane chastised,

“Jesus Christ,” Huffed the second queen, before mimicking Jane’s tone, “No SwEaRiNg At ThE dInNeR tAbLe AnNe. No SwEaRiNg At ThE bReAkFaSt TaBle. No SwEaRiNg In ThE lIvInG rOoM. Bloody hellfire - where can I swear then!?”

“Maybe try keeping your language clean.” Spat Catalina,

“Hey! That is a violation of my most basic human rights!”

As the first and second queen began arguing across the table, Kat couldn’t help but giggle at the exhausted look now on Jane’s face. She pitied the older woman but was far too amused to voice it. Cathy on her part had already gotten over the interruption, instead she had one hand on her book under the table - holding it open to read whilst everyone was distracted. This was not abnormal, arguments often broke out at meal times. They were the only times all the queens were usually together and adding on Anne’s love of an audience - it was like throwing a match into a haystack.

Sensing they weren’t going to stop any time soon, Kat turned to look at Anna whom was seated next to her. The German woman was scoffing down bite after bite as she always did. Never one for fine airs and graces. In their past life Anna and Kat had never really interacted, the former being more Henry’s friend than Kat’s. This time round though they had developed a bond and the younger queen could only admit to herself that she had a slight crush.

Anna was just everything she wasn’t; brash, confident, cool. Kat couldn’t help but admire her and this admiration had developed into something a little bit more on her end. It was inevitable, Kat was still a teenager and finally able to think for herself about her own emotions. Hormones were bound to hit her full force, she was dead for like 500 years. That’s a lot of time for pent up frustrations to fester.

However, Kat was also a special case.

After everything she’d been through and experienced, crushes and attraction terrified her. To Katherine, love meant leaving herself exposed and vulnerable. It meant trusting someone with her heart and at times her sanity. Katherine had given a lot of men her heart, be it by choice or by force and it never ended well. Sure, after joining the local college to get her qualifications she had been invited to parties and tried experimenting. But even the slightest peck caused horrors of a life once lived to flash through her mind.

She had never told Anne any of this. She couldn’t. Her older cousin would kill anyone who Kat brought home, with or without trauma. It was her one thing, she would joke and banter with anyone about anything but when it came to “protecting Kat’s virtue” all smiles disappeared. Bitch still had her sword mounted on the living room wall - don’t fuck with her. Seriously the postman got to close once and when Kat so much as whimpered Anne was armed and chasing the poor man down the street.

They still had her one free phone call to Jane begging her to bail her out of jail and to not tell Catalina recorded somewhere.

“Hey, Anna.” Kat plucked up the courage to address the woman next to her,

“What’s up, süsse?” Anna didn’t even look up, still stuffing her face,

“Anne and I found the sequel to Rocky Horror on Amazon,” Kat said, “We’re watching it tonight if you wanna join? I know you liked the first one!”

Anne and Kat were on a mission to watch the worst movies ever made, starting with ‘The Room’ and now on to ‘Shock Treatment’ the lesser known sequel to ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’.

“No can do kiddo,” Anna said over a mouthful of food, “Meeting the ladies in waiting at the club in an hour.”

Kat tried not to look put out. Whether over the rejection or being referred to as ‘kiddo’ she wasn’t sure. But it was fine, Anna had her own life. That was cool…she supposed.

“Speaking of…” Anna suddenly shovelled what remained on her plate into her mouth, “Done!”

“You eat like a pig.” Catalina scoffed,

The German rolled her eyes and stood, “Sorry ladies, places to go people to see!”

“Livers to dissolve.” Anne muttered,

“Funny.” Anna deadpanned, “Anybody want to join me?”

A round of declines and the red queen just shrugged and sauntered away. Going to get ready for her night on the town and leaving poor Kat Howard with a sinking feeling in her stomach.

_______

_“Hold still Katherine…it’ll only hurt for a moment.”_

_“I don’t want too…”_

_“But, don’t I deserve a thank you for teaching you the flute? Are you really that ungrateful?”_

_“No….”_

_“No?”_

_“No…no…”_

“NO!”

Kat sat bolt upright, chest heaving as she frantically looked around the dark room. The only light source coming from a small pink light plugged into the wall. It seemed childish really, a near adult having a night-light but it did help at times like this. The dark itself didn’t scare Kat, in fact she often found solace in the fact she could never see what had happened to her. But after a nightmare having a source of light to look at helped ground her back in reality.

The pink light marked that she was back in the conscious world.

Taking a moment to catch her breath, she put both hands to her face feeling the sweat covering her. As she pulled them away, Kat made out that she was trembling. Clenching her fists she put them into her lap, praying for herself to relax. It felt a little silly, that certainly wasn’t the worst nightmare she’d had. The ones that made her scream and cry out in her sleep, prompting either Jane or Anne (whose rooms were either side) to run in to check on her.

She tried laying back, a desperate attempt to find sleep again but the moment she shut her eyes she saw that music room painted to the back of them. Once it became apparent she would probably not relax enough for sleep any time soon, she decided to get out of bed and grab a midnight snack. Anne’s influence on her unfortunately, when she couldn’t sleep she’d raid Jane’s biscuit cupboard.

Flinging the cover from her body, she grabbed her dressing gown and slippers. Another side effect of the trauma was that Kat hated to be anything other than fully clothed. Showering was fine but she was never one to spend too long in there. Jane had bought her this weird towel with sleeves so that she would stop fretting about the walk from the bathroom back to her room. Sure she was still only in a towel, but the sleeves let her imagine it was something more substantial.

All this to say, Katherine made sure she was properly covered before heading downstairs. The house was silent but a light glow from under Cathy’s door showed her television was on. Though she sometimes fell asleep watching old movies so there was no guarantee she was still awake. Having done this many times, she knew which steps were the creaky ones and so could avoid them. The first time she had woken a very cross Catalina and ordered back to bed.

Walking through the living room to get to the kitchen she finally flicked on the light. The only sounds were her slippers scuffling on the floor and the light buzz of the fridge. Quickly she approached Jane’s cupboard and opened it hoping for biscuits. However, something better caught her eye - hot chocolate mix. She had heard warm drinks were good for insomnia, but sadly Kat had never been a fan of tea or coffee. This might just be the perfect solution.

Turning to grab a mug, she sighed when she remembered Anna was supposed to wash the dishes. As she left early, there was a huge pile of dirty plates and bowls and mugs stacked up in the sink. Including Kat’s own mug. She had used it for some soup at lunchtime. Looking back at Jane’s cupboard she just took Jane’s mug, she’d leave it with the pile after and just blame Anne if Jane got upset.

Filling the mug with milk, she placed it in the microwave for a few minutes to heat up. Leaving her stood quietly by herself, thinking back over her dream. She tried to ignore the chills running through her body, almost causing her to cringe away from invisible hands as long forgotten voices whispered into her ears.

Phantom touches on her waist…

Her hips…

Memories of pain on her scalp from a harsh pull on her hair…

The agonising bites on her neck…

All leading to the final push, making her feel dirty and exposed and--

_BEEP BEEP BEEP!_

Kat jumped at the sound. Somewhat thankful for the interruption, even if her heart was now pounding extra hard at the shock. Taking her mug from the microwave, she dumped a load of mix into it and stirred it gently until it turned the milk into a smooth brown colour. After blowing on it a little, to cool it down, she finally took a sip and hummed at the sweet taste. Was there anything better than hot chocolate? Right now Kat did not think so.

Taking a bigger gulp, she closed her eyes. Letting the steam from the mug tickle her nose and allowed her body to sag. Contant nightmares plaguing her lately had caused a severe lack of sleep, Kat was exhausted. For a moment she allowed herself to relax, at peace listening to the gentle hum of the refrigerator.

_BANG!_

And for the second time that night Kat jumped out of her skin.

This time Jane’s favourite mug slipped from her grasp and shattered on to the floor.

“Woahh…” An unsteady Anna stumbled through the back door, “If that’s Jane’s mug she’s gonna be pisssssed!”

Kat sighed and began cleaning up the mess, “Someone else sounds pretty pissed.”

Anna gave an obnoxious drunken laugh, “Yeahhhhh I am just a little-idddle piddled!”

Giving an amused snort, Kat threw away the remains of Jane’s mug and wiped up the spillage. Standing upright, she turned to look at her dishevelled friend and giggled.

“Good night?” She asked,

“The best, everyone got dooooowwwwn!” Anna punctuated her sentence by dropping low and standing back off,

At the sight Kat blushed and coughed to regain composure, “Well I’m glad you had fun.”

Suddenly, Anna looked at her with confusion shining through the glassy haze of drunkeness, “Why’re you shtill up, süsse?”

Kat played with her fingers, “I had a nightmare so I thought some hot chocolate might do me good.”

“Nooo!” Anna suddenly stumbled forward and lunged to hug Kat, taking the other girl off guard, “My Kitty-Kat hadda bad dream? Nooooo!”

Kat took some deep breathes, the alcohol radiating off her making her remember similar (yet more sinister) situations. Luckily, Anna pulled away quickly, grabbing Kat’s shoulders to steady herself.

“You need to go bed!” Anna declared, “Nows! Geh ins Bett!”

Gently stepping out of the older girl’s embrace, anxiety high at being grabbed like that. Especially after the nightmare she’d had. Knowing Anna was still slightly unstable, she pushed past her fears enough to grab her arm.

“Come on,” Kat said gently, “Let’s get you to bed first.”

She began pulling Anna towards the stairs.

“Oooh Kitty is taking me to beeeed!” Anna teased, no filter, “That’s one way to tire you out!”

Kat didn’t like drunk Anna. She felt a shiver crawl down her spine and decided to just focus on getting the drunk woman into her own room. Kat pulled Anna along, shushing her when her ramblings got too loud. When she finally got Anna into her room she sighed with relief.

Until Anna smacked her backside and cause her to freeze in panic.

“Thankss, babe!”

Kat sent a forced smile and tried to make an escape but Anna pulled her back. The older queen fell onto the bed, pulling the terrified girl down with her and clinging to her like a koala.

“Cuddles!”

Kat was now completely comatose, hyperventilating and unable to move out of Anna’s grip. As her capture closed her eyes and began to fall asleep, Kat stayed wide awake. Staring at the ceiling and letting tears roll down her cheeks as she took sharp breaths in and out. Desperately trying not to completely freak out. She didn’t want to wake the others, though she didn’t think she could find her voice to even try.

So she lay there, in the dark. Feeling like once again having a crush had left her vulnerable. She adored Anna but this was too much. The scent of alcohol, the touching, the grabbing. Kat thought this time would be different, that a new life made for a new start. But no, here she was. Trapped in someone’s bed against her will. Sure, she was not being forced to do anything but the sentiment was the same.

The ending was the same.

Kat crying in the dark, wishing herself away.

She couldn’t say how long she laid there, crying and breathing heavily - growing more and more distressed. But eventually the sun came up and she could hear the rest of the house start to come alive. Kat wanted to call out for help but she just couldn’t find her voice. She heard Jane yell about her mug and Catalina shout up the stairs at Anne for breaking it. Had she not been so distressed she could have laughed.

But even if she got her in trouble, Kat could always count on Anne.

_“ANNE! YOU OWE JANE A NEW MUG!”_

“I DIDN’T BREAK HER DAMN MUG---Kat?…GUYS! IS KAT DOWN THERE?”

_“No…why!?”_

“She’s not in her room…” Kat heard Anne mutter out in the hall, then Anna’s door opened, “Anna have you seen--Kat!?”

Finally a sob rang out, it was almost like Kat choked on it as it bubbled up, “Annie!”

Taking in the scene before her, Anne froze for a moment. Usually she would act on impulse but this time she really wanted to take in the scene.

Kat’s tears…

Anna’s tight hold…

The stench of alcohol…

The terror in her baby cousins eyes...

The fact that they were both at least clothed...

Kat's tears...again....

Then Anne broke out of it.

And…

She. Went. Nuts.


	2. Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the comments and kudos! I don’t tend to reply directly because people scare me, but I do greatly appreciate it. Also I tend to mix humour and angst together at times, mainly because I tend to like quite distressing story lines so adds a little break. 
> 
> Basically, I’m not intending to be insensitive. It’s just my way of making things a little less heavy.

** **Part 2** **

Hell hath no fury like a protective Anne.

Kat couldn’t tell if it was a lack of sleep or she was just that fast, but Anne seemed to nearly fly across the room. Using a strength nobody could have guessed the green queen had, she ripped the duo apart. Sending Anna ungraciously tumbling to the floor, face-first. Then, letting out a war cry, Anne bounded over the bed and slammed a groggy Anna’s head back into the floor. Punch after punch then began impacting on Anna’s face.

Now fully awake, the German woman’s fight or flight response kicked in and she shoved Anne away from her. Beginning to throw her own punches. They began grappling and fighting more intensely on the floor, neither looking very regal at that moment. The entire ordeal would have been hilarious had Kat not still been left trembling on the bed. Staring at the duo rolling around on the floor, Anne out for blood and Anna extremely confused.

Kat knew she should stop them or at the very least call out for the others, but she couldn’t unfurl herself from the little ball she’d reverted into. Luckily, when Anna’s hand knocked the lamp and smashed it on the floor, the queens downstairs heard the commotion. Having been too focused on murder, Anne hadn’t closed the door when she pounced and so the other queens walked straight into the chaos.

Anne screaming expletives, Anna throwing punches, Kat shaking traumatized on the mattress.

For a moment the remaining three could only stare, having absolutely no clue where to start with this mess. Exchanging a silent look, the trio opted to divide and conquer. Catalina and Cathy went to split up the brawling idiots on the floor, while Jane tentatively approached the shaking teenager. Now, Kat was never the type to just get in this state at random. Usually, they’d found it was often a build up of different triggers.

When her anxiety was high enough the slightest thing could send her over the edge. Not knowing what the catalyst had been this time round, Jane was somewhat nervous about offering comfort. She had accepted Kat wasn’t a baby, but she was still young and had been through a lot of trauma. The gut reaction would be to hold her and whisper soothing words to her. But Jane knew Kat didn’t like people whispering in her ear or in her personal space without her permission.

“Katherine…”

Jane was the only one that called her Katherine, everyone else preferred using Kitty or Kat. It caused a glimmer of recognition to shine through the fog in Kat’s brain.

“Katherine, sweetheart,” Jane continued, making sure to keep her voice level, “Can you hear me?”

Kat couldn’t vocalise anything, but focusing on the third queen’s voice gave her something calming to latch onto. The noise of the fight only further raised her anxiety level, Jane’s soothing voice was a vast contrast and gave her something clear to focus on.

“Can you hear me, Katherine?”

Kat willed herself to nod slightly, hearing Jane sigh in relief.

“Can I touch you? I just want to sit you up.”

Hesitation…

Then a nod.

Gently, Jane pulled Kat up so that she was sitting. Then, to her shock, the youngest queen turned to crawl into her embrace. Clutching on to her tightly and trying to even out her breathing. Jane smiled softly, she couldn’t deny that she was happy Kat felt comfortable with her. Obviously the circumstances weren’t right, but Jane was happy she could help. She rubbed circles on her back rather than run fingers through Kat’s hair. She hated that. Never touch Kat’s hair - the unspoken rule of 1547 Castle Way.

Kat lay against Jane, letting the woman comfort her as the fight raged on. Tears began trickling down the youngest queens face. She hated when Anne got into fights, things got loud and it was like sensory overload.

“Anne! Let her go!” Cathy shouted,

“I’LL FUCKING KILL HER, I SWEAR TO GOD - IF YOU TOUCHED ONE HAIR ON HER HEAD YOU’LL BE SHITTING YOUR TEETH!”

“What the fuck is your problem!? You psychopath! Get off me!”

“Anne, I swear if you rip my new shirt it’ll be two on one. Now let her go!” Catalina growled,

With the first and last queen each grabbing one half of the brawling pair, they were eventually able to pry them apart. It soon became clear that Anne was the aggressor, given how much she was struggling in Catalina’s grip to continue her assault.

“Let me go! I’LL FUCKING DESTROY YOU!”

“What the hell is your problem, Anne!?” Anna asked, bringing her hand up to her nose to confirm it was bleeding,

“Guys!” Cathy called, “Why are you fighting?”

“I don’t know, I woke up to this gremlin attacking my face.”

Anne stopped struggling, instead sending an icy glare towards the German woman, “You. Don’t. Know?”

“Nein! I have no idea.”

“You made Kitty cry.” Anne said in a low, dangerous, voice,

Anna’s eyes snapped to the woman in Jane’s arms. Taking immediate note of her shaking and the tears rolling down pale cheeks.

“Kat?” Anna stepped towards her,

Kat flinched, unintentionally and Anne spat out another warning. Anna didn’t step any closer, eyes wide with worry. Then she began to remember…

How drunk she had been when she got home…

How she had grabbed and teased Kat…

How she had grabbed her and held her captive…

How Kat had frozen when she cuddled her.

Anna felt sick. The idea that she had done this to her friend utterly horrified her. What on earth had possessed her to act like that? To Kat of all people? Sweet, innocent Katherine Howard, someone whom Anna adored…now so afraid of her she couldn’t make eye contact.

“I think,” Jane spoke up, still keeping her voice calm, “You two should go downstairs and have your bruises looked over and calm down.”

“But--” Anne started,

“Then,” Jane continued, “Katherine can get some sleep and when she wakes up, we’ll have a family meeting.”

A groan echoed around the room at that.

“Not another family meeting…”

“I’d rather be run through by Anne’s sword.” Catalina quipped,

Suddenly, Anne’s gaze settled on Anna. As if she’d just remembered something, a sinister smile on her face. Luckily, Catalina knew better than anyone how the sadist’s thought process worked and was able to chase after the green queen as she sprinted down the stairs.

“Anne! Not the sword! NOT THE SWORD!”

Cathy grabbed Anna’s arm, ignoring the bangs from downstairs, “Come to Catalina’s room and we’ll check you over. After Vibrator-Gate it’s the only door that locks and downstairs seems a little--”

_CRASH!_

_“ANNE DROP THE DEADLY WEAPON!”_

“--hostile.” Cathy’s gaze switched to Jane, “Are you okay here?”

“Yes,” Jane reassured, “I’ll take her to her room once everyone’s separated.”

The younger woman grabbed Anna’s arm and began leading her out.

Guilt swallowing her whole when Kat refused to even look at her.

______

It took three hours for Anne to calm down enough for a family meeting to take place.

Jane had managed to get the story from Katherine before sending her off to bed. The motherly queen couldn’t say she wasn’t disappointed in the actions of her German friend, but she wouldn’t condemn her just yet. Based on how embarrassed and tired Kat had seemed, Jane had decided to let her stay in bed. With her permission she was allowed to tell the others what happened. However, with Kat being Kat, she had made Jane promise to stop Anne killing the German girl.

Anne had a big mouth, she’d never survive prison.

…or she’d be great depending on her cell mates.

But that’s a different debate and right now, her loud mouth was shut tightly as she sat in one of the armchairs. Glaring daggers at the woman in red directly opposite her. The other two queens were sat on the sofa in the middle of the room, looking back and fourth between the two and trying not to choke on the tension. They were waiting for Jane to appear with Katherine, only then could the meeting start and hopefully everything will be put to bed.

“So…” Cathy awkwardly said into the room, “Did you hear that the Queen, like the current one, might be a reptile hybrid--”

Catalina raised a hand to silence her god-daughter, “Not now.”

_Silence._

Footsteps coming down the stairs came as a relief. A break in the awkward silence that flooded the living room. Anne looked up, anger turning to worry when she noticed Jane was alone on the stairs. Part of her looked as though she wanted to run upstairs and check on her cousin, but the third wife sent her one of the rare no-bullshit-right-now looks Jane patented. It was enough to keep her in her seat.

“Katherine’s still asleep,” Jane explained, taking the middle seat on the sofa, “However, she has told me her side and given me permission to speak for her.”

“Okay then,” Catalina sighed, looking between the fighting queens, “Who wants to start?”

Anne glared. Anna kept her gaze on the floor ashamed.

With an eyeroll the eldest queen looked to Jane, “Why don’t we get Katherine’s side?”

Jane cleared her throat and then delved into the story. She kept a careful eye on Anne, knowing that the woman was feeling as though she needed to defend Kat’s honour at the moment. She watched Boleyn’s grip tighten on the arms of the chair as she began with Anna being drunk when she got home last night. When Jane quoted Anna’s comment about Kitty taking her to bed and the connotations Kat had taken from that, Anne let out a growl. Then Jane stammered out that Anna had “spanked” Kat when they got to her room, the green queen leapt to her feet.

“How could you do that!?” Anne snapped, ignoring Catalina’s attempts to get her to sit,

“I-I barely even remember--”

“You know her!” Anne spat, furious, “You KNOW what she’s been through.”

“I know…” Anna teared up, she felt horrid,

“Kat deserves to feel safe in her own home.” Anne continued, “How dare you take that away from her?”

“Anne that’s enough…”

“No. Cathy.” Anne told her firmly, “It’s not enough. Anna, you may not be an evil fucking person like the others but what you did last night wasn’t a fuck ton better.”

Anna’s gaze stayed on the floor.

“Sit,” Catalina tried again, “Let Jane finish and then we can work out what to do next.”

Anne met her eyes and for a moment the duo had a silent conversation. A skill learned from their years living together in a castle with eyes and ears all over. Giving a tight nod, Anne sat. Catalina nodded for Jane to continue.

“There’s not much more,” Jane sighed, “She tried putting Anna into bed, Anna dragged her down with her and then fell asleep pinning her down. Kat says she wasn’t trying to f-force herself on her or anything. She said, and I quote: ‘had I not had a nightmare just before and Anna hadn’t been drunk it would have been fine’.”

“God…” Anna sighed, finally looking up to meet furious eyes, “Anne, you have to believe me. I wouldn’t ever knowingly hurt Kat.”

“And yet you did.”

“I did.” Anna conceded,

“Look, Anna…I know you. I can give you the benefit of the doubt. If Kat forgives you, I will too.” Anne told her sternly, standing again but with less aggression, “But I will never forget this. I know it was the alcohol. But given your recent hobby of bringing home random fuck toys from the clubs your frequent, it’s hard to believe your intentions were honourable.”

Anna matched her gaze, knowing she deserved it.

Anne took slow steps towards the other woman, “You need to apologise to Kat and accept what she decided. I will follow her lead. But make no fucking mistake…”

Now directly in front of the other woman, Anne leaned down - resting her hands on the arms of the chair and trapping Anna in her seat.

“If you EVER touch her again.” Anne growled quietly, “I will kill you. No warning, no mercy - I will take the sword off the wall and mount your head there as a trophy. Am I clear?”

Anna swallowed, “Crystal.”

______

Kat felt better after some sleep.

She hadn’t slept for long, but it was just enough to clear the fog that had smothered her this morning. Cathy had been nice enough to lend her a book, having left it next to her bed while she was sleeping. It was actually Anne who influenced Katherine’s new hobby. Part of her idolised her confident, sassy cousin. She was a lot smarter than she let on and when Kat had asked how she gained this knowledge she had simply responded:

_“I read!”_

So now Kat had decided to give it a try for herself. It all went back to wanting to explore everything the world had to offer her. Reading was a great way to do that, it opened more worlds and concepts to her. From the day she had taken it up, Kat had tried to read everything and anything she could get her hands on. It helped her expand her knowledge, gain new perspectives and also allowed her an escape when her reality felt a little dark.

She wondered vaguely if that was why Anne liked to read, to take a break from reality for a while. Kat couldn’t blame her…reality sucked ass. At the moment she was reading some mystery book. It was based a lot on history and ancient cults, Kat didn’t really understand some of the longer words but she was able to follow the story. When she got lost, as did happen occasionally, she felt no shame in going back a few pages and searching for the information she missed.

_Knock, knock, knock._

“Süsse? It’s me…can we talk?”

Kat’s heart stopped.

Sure, she wasn’t feeling as anxious as before but she was nowhere near ready to let Anna into her personal space. Kat was still pretty shaken up and she had learned long ago that no matter how long she escaped reality it didn’t make the pain any less real. No matter how she looked at it, Anna had hurt her. Anna had SCARED her. That wasn’t something she could just excuse, no matter how much she wished she could.

“D-Don’t come in…”

Anna sighed, “I wont. But can we use the door as a shield?”

Kat thought about it for a moment, after deciding that would be okay she stood and approached the door.

“Okay.”

She couldn’t see Anna’s small smile, happy at the slight progress. The older woman sat resting her back against the door, unaware of Kat taking a near identical position on the other side.

“So what did you want to say?” Kat asked, bringing her knees up to rest her chin on them,

Anna sighed, trying to organise her thoughts…where the hell did she start!?

“I’m so sorry.” Anna told her, praying she could hear the sincerity, “God, Kat…I’m so, so, so sorry. I was drunk and I just lost control of myself.”

“...”

“I feel awful.” Anna continued, “I can’t explain how sick with myself I feel.”

“...”

“You don’t have to accept my apology.” Anna began getting nervous about the silence, “But I need you to know I regret it. Just…say something. Please?”

“What are you apologising for?” Kat asked,

“Huh?”

Kat swallowed, “P-prove you’re different. Please…I’ve heard so many empty apologies. Tell me what your apologising for.”

Anna began playing with her hands, uncharacteristically anxious, “I’m sorry for getting do drunk and…for g-groping you.”

Kat listened intently, eyes closed as she tried to imagine Anna’s face as she said all this.

“I’m sorry for holding you against your will.”

She imagined she looked sincere, eye’s hardening in the same way they did when Kat first told the group about her life. When Anna promised to protect her.

“I’m sorry for making you cry.” Anna gained more confidence as she talked, “I’m so sorry for that, I never wanted to make you cry. Ever. I’m sorry for being such a fucking creep, for being like those men.”

Kat wanted to argue, tell her she was nowhere near as bad as them. But she couldn’t, the distrustful voice in her head wouldn’t let her.

“I’m sorry for letting my insecurities affect you.” Anna thumped her head back against the door, “My demons are my own, they shouldn’t have been anywhere near you.”

“Demons?” Kat asked, curious, “What demons?”

Anna took a breath, if she was to earn Kat’s forgiveness she needed to start with honesty.

“When Hen---King Dickbag rejected me for looking different than my portrait, I always acted like it didn’t bother me. Because, well, it didn’t back then. I got a cool palace, I got high contacts in the English monarchy, I never had to marry to survive.” Anna explained, “Back then I could hang that portrait up and everyone could look at it and me and laugh at the inaccuracies. Then when we came back I did some research.”

She swallowed, feeling weirdly vulnerable and she hated it. But Anna continued, she owed this to Kat.

“People don’t know my true face,” Anna said, wistfully, “They can’t make that comparison. Historians call me ugly, insult my outward appearance. I’m called the ultimate catfish. It hurt. It hurt way more than the rejection ever did.”

Anna couldn’t see but Kat was listening with rapt attention.

“So one night, I was feeling super down and self conscious.” Anna sighed, “And Joan and Maria say they’re going to a club. I used to like dancing at balls and parties so I decided to join. Suddenly, I had these beautiful women buying me drinks, wanting to go home with me. If these random women thought I was pretty, then who gives a shit what some historian thinks.”

Kat never knew any of this.

“I kept going because those girls made me feel better about myself.” Anna confessed, “I felt beautiful and powerful because they thought I was beautiful and powerful. But now I know what they think doesn’t matter…I should’ve cared more about what my best friend thought of me.”

“I think you’re pretty.” Kat whispered through the door, “I always have.”

“That’s sweet of you.” Anna brushed it off,

Kind of glad Kat couldn’t see her blushing.

“I never knew you felt like that.” Kat said,

“Everyone has their thing, right?” She chuckled, “But I’m sorry I did what I did.”

Kat chewed her lip in thought.

“I forgive you, Anna.” She told her, “But it’s going to take some time before I can trust you. I’m sorry, but logically I know it was a mistake…emotionally…”

“It still hurts.” Anna finished, “I get it. Y’know I wish you would yell at me. I feel like I’m getting off lightly, even if your cousin beat the shit out of me. You can be mad, Kat. You can scream and shout at me. I deserve it.”

Kat relaxed her pose, stretching her legs out and leaning against the door, “That’s not my way. I believe in moving forward.”

“That’s very mature of you.”

“I have my moments.”

______

“Kitty?”

_Knock, knock._

“It’s Anne, can I come in?”

Kat put down her sketchbook, “Come in.”

Anne poked her head round and was relieved at the smile Kat sent to her. They had all tried to give her some space today, allowing her time to fully digest and process everything that happened. It was evening and Anne had begged Jane to let her bring food up to her favourite cousin. She was still quite beaten up from her earlier scrap with Anna but that was a lecture for another day. The older woman walked over and handed Kat a bowl of spaghetti and some cutlery.

“Jane says family dinner is on hold until you feel up to it.” Anne told her, sitting on the edge of her bed,

“Thanks for bringing it up.” Kat said, using the fork to play with her food a little, “I’m not quite ready to be face to face with Anna yet.”

Anne nodded, deciding to keep her savage remark to herself, “She told us you forgave her.”

“Does that upset you?”

Anne smiled gently and shook her head, “That’s your choice, Kitty. I would support you no matter what.”

Kat was glad to hear that, “It’s going to take me some time. To feel comfortable around her again.”

“I get that,” Anne nodded, “In fact I’d be worried if you just immediately tried to forget what happened.”

Kat twirled her food around her fork before bringing it to her mouth, not realising how hungry she really was.

“So are you okay?” Anne asked, eyes nervous,

Kat nodded, “Better than this morning.”

“I can’t tell you how I felt when I saw you this morning.” Anne swallowed, “I could have killed her.”

“You tried to.”

“Yep,” Anne didn’t even try to keep the pride out of her voice, “You’re my family, Kitty. I’ll rip the whole world in two for you.”

“I would never ask you to do that.”

“You wouldn’t have too.”

Kat smiled, but then sighed, “Before this I had a crush on Anna…”

“Duh!” Anne scoffed, “Jane went out this morning in odd shoes and even she could see it.”

Kat blushed, “Yeah well…”

Anne chuckled, “Do you still like her?”

“I do,” Kat suddenly looked a little sad, “That’s why I freaked out so much. Me and crushes never end well.”

Anne nodded, listening intently to her. They never usually talked about things like this, simply due to Anne’s protective streak. But it was nice, finally voicing these thoughts to someone.

“Is it bad that I still like her?”

Anne shrugged, ever honest, “Who fucking knows?”

“Helpful.” Kat glared,

“Well,” Anne smiled, reaching out to rest her hand on her cousin’s knee, “Anna isn’t a bad person. She’s a stupid person, who does stupid shit and gets her stupid face bashed in for it. But she’s not bad people. I think this distance between you both will be good to help you figure out what you want.”

“Will you be mad? If I do…court her?”

“Court!?” Anne snorted, “Haven’t heard that since…well…y’know.”

Ah yes, Kat did know.

“But no,” Anne told her sincerely, “I know I can be overbearing but if you’re happy that’s all I want. Just don’t rush into anything, my heart can’t take it.”

Kat smiled, “Thanks Anne.”

“Any time, kiddo!”

“Can you not tell anyone about this?” Kat asked, “At least until I figure out what I want?”

“My lips are sealed!” Anne declared, miming zipping up her mouth, “Anything for you KitKat!”

“Anything?” Kat asked look mischievous,

“Oh God what…”

“Could you…maybe…take the blame for me breaking Jane’s mug?”

“THAT WAS YOU!?”

Kat laughed as Anne ranted about how Catalina had scolded her for it already.

She would never know why she got a second chance at life but she was glad to have Anne this time round. Hell, she was glad to have all the queens around. They made her feel like she could get through this. That the trauma couldn’t break her. Sure, sometimes they did stupid things or made mistakes. But they were all in the same boat. They were all broken and slowly trying to heal.

And they would heal, eventually.

It’s just sometimes these things take time to click into place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @Elcten


End file.
